David Cameron blamed for rise of Isis in scathing MPs’ report

Failings: David Cameron poses with Libyan rebels on his arrival at Benghazi Airport in 2011 after the overthrow of Gaddafi
Getty/AFP
Sebastian Mann14 September 2016
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David Cameron was today accused of contributing to the rise of the so-called Islamic State in north Africa in a devastating report by MPs on the 2011 Libya bombing campaign.

The former Prime Minister turned limited intervention intended to protect civilians into an "opportunist policy of regime change" based on inadequate intelligence, the MPs said.

The respected Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the then PM’s failure to develop a coherent strategy to support the country following the overthrow of Col Muammar Gaddafi had led to political and economic collapse, humanitarian crisis and the rise of Islamic State in north Africa.

It said the military intervention was based on an “incomplete understanding” of the rebellion and ministers should have realised the movement included a "significant Islamist element".

Overthrown: Col Muammar Gaddafi

The scathing report comes just two days after Mr Cameron, who stood down as PM to be succeeded by Theresa May, announced his departure from frontline politics by resigning his Oxfordshire parliamentary seat.

Committee chairman Crispin Blunt said: "The UK's actions in Libya were part of an ill-conceived intervention, the results of which are still playing out today."

An international coalition led by Britain and France launched a campaign of air and missile strikes against Gaddafi's forces in March 2011 after the regime threatened to attack the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

Leaving politics: David Cameron resigned his seat on Monday 
Sky News

Mr Cameron argued the intervention was necessary to prevent a massacre of civilians but the committee said the available evidence showed that, despite his appalling human rights abuses over 40 years, Gaddafi had no record of large-scale attacks on Libyan civilians.

It said the Government "selectively took elements of Gaddafi's rhetoric at face value" while there was no evidence it had carried out a proper analysis of the nature of the revolt against him.

"The possibility that militant extremist groups would attempt to benefit from the rebellion should not have been the preserve of hindsight," it said.

"It may be that the UK Government was unable to analyse the nature of the rebellion in Libya due to incomplete intelligence and insufficient institutional insight and that it was caught up in events as they developed.

"UK strategy was founded on erroneous assumptions and an incomplete understanding of the evidence."

The committee called for an independent review of the way decision were taken by the National Security Council.

The report added: "By the summer of 2011, the limited intervention to protect civilians had drifted into an opportunist policy of regime change. That policy was not underpinned by a strategy to support and shape post-Gaddafi Libya.

"The result was political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations, the spread of Gaddafi regime weapons across the region and the growth of Isil (Islamic State) in North Africa.

"Through his decision-making in the National Security Council, former prime minister David Cameron was ultimately responsible for the failure to develop a coherent Libya strategy."

A Foreign Office spokesman said the decision to intervene in Libya was an international one, called for by the Arab League and authorised by the UN Security Council.

"Muammar Gaddafi was unpredictable and he had the means and motivation to carry out his threats," the spokesman said.

"His actions could not be ignored and required decisive and collective international action. Throughout the campaign we stayed within the United Nations mandate to protect civilians.

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